Waratahs rookie Jack Dempsey relishing showdown with Brumbies leader Scott Fardy
JACK Dempsey knows the key to beating the Brumbies is matching their physicality and the Waratahs rookie has singled out one of the country’s toughest players.
Rugby
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rugby. Followed categories will be added to My News.
YOUNG buck Jack Dempsey has sounded the battle cry ahead of the Waratahs’ showdown against the Brumbies this Saturday, declaring his side plans to bash its way to victory over the Australian conference leaders.
Making his first start against Wallabies incumbent No.6 Scott Fardy, 21-year-old NSW blindside flanker Dempsey says the key to winning is dominating the Brumbies in the collisions.
“When you look at the last couple of years in this match-up of the Brumbies-Waratahs, the winner has come down to who has been the most physical and whoever has dominated that physical battle,” Dempsey said.
“So there’s nothing going to change this week, our number one focus is we’re going to try to beat these guys up front with our physical dominance.
“[Fardy is] a great player and I definitely see parts of my game that are similar to his game and the way he plays, he’s not just the kind of No.6 that likes to carry, he’s very active in the lineouts and can also pilfer the ball at the breakdown.
“I definitely have been watching him over the last couple of years in my development and have learned a lot off him, and it will be interesting to come up against him for a bit more time than round two, and see where I measure up against him.”
The Brumbies will be missing their best player, David Pocock, through suspension while No.8 Ita Vaea’s immediate retirement due to a heart problem has dramatically shifted the advantage to NSW’s young backrow of Dempsey, Michael Hooper and Jed Holloway.
“They’re going to be missing Pocock but I think Jarrad Butler’s the next best guy you want, probably in Australian rugby, in terms of filling in for the best No.7 going around,” Dempsey said.
“It will be a big challenge especially for myself, last time we played them I only came off the bench for the last 15 minutes, so it will be a big step up.”
Tahs lock Dave Dennis added of Pocock’s absence: “It’s significant, he is a world-class player and has a huge impact on games around the breakdown and slowing the ball down.
“But the Brumbies are a really good squad, you’ve seen over the last three or four years they play well as a team, they’re really clear on their identity and how they want to play around their set-piece and attack.
“I’ve got no doubt they’ll replace him pretty comfortably and won’t skip a beat.”
Dempsey said if NSW can beat the Brumbies, it will springboard their seven-match stretch leading up to the June Test break.
“I think it will get that snowball rolling, we had a meeting this morning about this long stretch coming up, we’re going to take it game by game but if we get this big win at home against an arch-rival like the Brumbies we can use that mentally and emotionally to take us through the next six games,” Dempsey said.
Originally published as Waratahs rookie Jack Dempsey relishing showdown with Brumbies leader Scott Fardy
The selfless act which shows why teammates love Nic White
Nic White will get a fitting send off when he starts for the Wallabies against the British & Irish Lions in Sydney — but if he’d had his way, it would never have happened.
Four seconds per beer, empty bars: Crazy impact of Lions fans
They drank bars dry at the MCG and had bartenders working overtime in Brisbane. The British & Irish Lions army are making their presence felt in a big way.